So this is it tomorrow will be our kids final test for Bucks. How are you all. I am beginning to get very nervous. Knowing it is the last chance makes it so hard. I so hope dd comes out saying it was easier on her. We have been doing a little bit of practice each day but as you can imagine some of it has been somewhat difficult to concentrate on. DD is still very keen and said yesterday she feels more under pressure as really wants to go to the GS we saw.

I don't want her feeling pressured but at the same time do want to spur her on. I think because it is the second test I want to ensure she knows it is just as important without wanting to worry her at the same time.

Also I have found it diffficult to know what to pratice as the NFER papers we have left are proving so easy whilst the level 4 and 5 Tutors 15 minutes are, I believe, unrealistic. The numeracy although difficult are atleast feesible whereas the verbal well I don't know half the words myself. So DD has done some cd work adn I have given her parts of some previous Bright Sparks tests.

Any ideas. Is anyone the same. Do you think I should give her a test for timing purposes. She finished with less time in the real thing last week.

I am no longer nervous as there is no more I can do except encourage and keep telling him it won't be the end of the world if he doesn't get through. I don't think he is too concerned about passing now but we both feel that he should be rewarded with a pass for all the hard work put in.
I'm so glad that this is the last evening that we have to do practice. It will be so nice to have that time back.
I am not going to test tonight (which is what everyone else seems to be doing!) we'll just go through some of the types that should come up - maybe 5 of each and that's it. Rice and fish for tea, bath, Eastenders and bed. Tomorrow we'll go through some reminders like 'mirror lines' and other things to check for before answering, a bowl of porridge, a banana and off he'll go and then....let the nail bitting begin.
Good luck.

Well I feel just like you Mel, like this is the last chance saloon - DS2 however seems quite calm as he's convinced he did OK last week - a dangerous strategy me thinks!

We did do the Tutors level 4 15 minutes last week - we all did it; DS1, DS2 and me! in competition - we did it as a challenge on the basis that anything over 50% would be good. I used it to remind DS2 that even if he doesn't know words he can use a process of deduction to make good guesses. I told him I didn't expect anywhere near 90%. Well I gave up (interupted by phone call thank goodness!) DS1 announced "this is too hard - I've got homework to do which is nothing as hard as this!". and DS2 finished it scoring 85%. It actually gave him a real boost to see his older brother also found it hard. There were rather a worrying amount of words he didn't know but he did use some logical deductions and made some lucky guesses.

Other than that we have just gone over some vocab and maths and not much else. No other tests. Will try my pep talk again tonight if DS1 done't get in first again!

Please also remember to ask the children if there were any disturbances. I am aware of one school where an alarm on a childs stop watch went off relatively early on in the test last week, the child was told off, and proceeded to 'sob' for the rest of the test.

1] The teacher should have made sure that no such time pieces were in use [hence I always suggest analogue watches]

2] That poor child must have been so devasted, hope the parents have put something on file.

3] This may have caused concentration problems for children, particularly those sat nearby.

4] The rules state that any disturbances should be noted and County duly informed.

DS is sitting the exam today. His form teacher and head spoke to him yesterday about deferring until next week due to his broken arm but he was not for turning,

He managed well at school yesterday and used his pen in his right hand. He does not usually have an issue with time so I do not think it will slow him down significantly.

I realise we might have made the wrong call but he was keen to do it today and the school after speaking to him thought even at 10yrs old he knows his own mind and we should go with his wishes. I think the thought of doing it on his own was just too big a deal for him to contemplate.

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